The Curse of the Black Emerald
by Amras Felagund
Summary: Full title: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Emerald... When the love of a young fox boy's life is kidnapped by a vicious pirate captain, he must make allegiance with a pirate to rescue her before it's too late... TaiSmo! Chapter 1 up!
1. Prologue: A Pirate's Life For Me

(**Disclaimer:** I own none of the characters in this unless otherwise noted.)

(**Note:** Unlike most 'cast replacement' fics, I will not be showing the cast list at the beginning, to maintain some semblance of surprise in the progression of the story. Sorry!)

* * *

_**PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN  
**__**THE CURSE OF THE BLACK EMERALD**_

**

* * *

****Prologue: A Pirate's Life for Me**

Pirates.

Cosmo Petali wanted to meet pirates. She wanted to pillage and plunder and swashbuckle alongside pirates.

Because she was bored.

Bored, bored, bored.

The _HMS Typhoon_, while well-armed enough to withstand any attacks from a pirate ship of any size – or so she was told by Lieutenant Hedgehog – was also very slow.

Irritatingly slow.

She wanted the ship to get to her new home at Port Royal, Jamaica, as quickly as possible.

So the young plant girl would often entertain herself by skipping about the deck, telling jokes that she found entertaining to the perplexed crew around her, looking into the bottoms of empty barrels, and picking up the ropes of the rigging and giving them a tentative tug. Of course, this latter had gotten her into a spot of trouble when Mister Knuckles caught sight of her activities. She'd never seen him getting so angry before, going on and on about how going even slightly off course put them at risk from pirate attack.

So Cosmo contented herself with sitting down on deck and watching the crew go about their business; watching her father, Governor-to-be of Port Royal, Lucas Petali, talking with Lieutenant Silver the Hedgehog about matters she knew she was too young to comprehend; watching the movement of the sails as the wind filled them; watching the helmsman adjusting the heading as ordered.

Cosmo then decided that she was bored just sitting there, and walked to the prow of the _Typhoon_. She wanted to see if she could see Port Royal from there. Reaching the prow, Cosmo stared out into the fog ahead. Was Port Royal just beyond, awaiting her and her father?

Entranced by the smog, Cosmo soon found herself singing a children's song she'd learned back in England,

_Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me_

_We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot_

_Drink up me hearties, yo ho_

_We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot_

_Drink up me hearties, yo ho_

_Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me_

_We extort, we pilfer, we filch and sack_

_Drink up--…_

She never got past that verse, as she felt a large mitt grab her shoulder. So caught up in her own world, Cosmo hadn't heard the person approaching. Spinning with a gasp, Cosmo stared into the wary purple eyes of the crimson echidna everyone knew as 'Knuckles'.

"Quiet, Miss Cosmo!" he said, looking cautiously ahead of the _Typhoon._ "Cursed pirates sail these waters. You don't want to bring 'em down on us now, do you?"

Cosmo's honest reply would have been 'yes', _anything_ to break her out of her boredom, but before Cosmo could say so…

"Mister Echidna, that will do," said Lieutenant Hedgehog sternly, wearing his lieutenant trappings like a prince would his crown; behind him, Cosmo saw, was her father. Lieutenant Hedgehog's golden eyes were currently giving Knuckles a cross look that Cosmo knew told the red echidna to leave her be.

"She was singing about pirates," Knuckles said to the silver hedgehog defensively, indicating Cosmo. "It's bad luck to be singing about pirates with us mired in this unnatural fog, mark my words."

Lieutenant Hedgehog seemed to smirk, then commented, "Consider them marked. Be on your way, Mister Echidna."

"Aye, Lieutenant," said Knuckles, walking off to find some other person to pester, it seemed. He seemed to be muttering something to himself, which Cosmo only caught little pieces of bitter mutterings, like "bad luck", "bring a woman aboard", and "miniature one", before he took a drink from his canteen.

Cosmo had always wondered what Knuckles was drinking from it.

"I think it would be rather exciting to meet a pirate," Cosmo remarked, almost to herself, still a little shaken from Knuckles' sudden appearance at her shoulder.

To Cosmo's surprise, Silver actually smiled amusedly at Cosmo's statement, taking a few steps across the deck to stand beside Cosmo at the prow.

"Think again, Miss Petali," he said, not looking at her. "Vile and hedonistic creatures, all of them. I can never dream of their absolution. And it is my role in life to see to it that _anyone_ who sails under a pirate flag or wears a pirate brand gets what he deserves…"

At this, Lieutenant Hedgehog paused. Cosmo looked up at him, wondering what it was he felt pirates deserved.

Then Silver looked affectionately down at Cosmo, and finished, "A short drop and a sudden stop." And with a smile, Lieutenant Hedgehog walked away to rejoin Cosmo's father.

_What did he mean by that?_ Cosmo thought. _What's a 'short drop and a sudden stop'?_

Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, Cosmo saw Knuckles waving his rather large hand to get her attention.

As though he'd read her mind, he looped the cord of his canteen round his throat, lifted it till it was taut round his throat, and hang his tongue out animatedly.

Cosmo gasped. A short drop and a sudden stop was _hanging_? Wasn't that a little extreme for a bunch of fun-loving rogues?

"Lieutenant Hedgehog, I appreciate your fervor," said Cosmo's father, Lucas, to Silver, "But…I'm concerned as to the effects this subject will have upon my daughter."

"Apologies, Governor Petali," said Lieutenant Hedgehog, walking back along the deck.

Cosmo approached her father, who smiled down at her as she approached.

"Actually," Cosmo said, "I find it all fascinating."

Lucas' face fell noticeably. "That's what concerns me," he told her as he too walked away.

And so Cosmo was alone again.

And bored again.

So she looked out across the rail on…was it the port side or the starboard side? She never remembered which was which. Either way, she stood at the rail on the right side of the ship, looking down at the water.

A parasol floated by, water splashing into it as it floated by the _Typhoon_.

_What? That's odd_, Cosmo thought as the parasol sank into the ocean. _There aren't any other ships ahead of us. We must be getting close._

Looking up to see the approaching mainland, Cosmo was disappointed to see more water and fog. It looked like they still had a –

Wait! What was that?

Looking down, further out than where she'd first seen the parasol, she saw something that made her heart leap into her throat.

A small fox boy was lying unconscious on a large bit of broken boards. She couldn't tell if he was alive or dead.

_But if he's alive_, she thought, _I've gotta tell someone about this, or he _won't_ survive!_

She turned to Lieutenant Hedgehog, Knuckles, and her father, and called out, "Look! A boy! There's a boy in the water!"

The three turned to look at her, then their eyes followed the direction she was pointing at, then ran to the rail to get a better look.

Silver turned to the crew and called, "MAN OVERBOARD! Get a rope! Throw out a hook! Haul him aboard!"

A crewman obeyed the silver lieutenant, the hook landing with a splash just past the wooden planking the fox boy was lying on, the rope splaying just beside him.

Cosmo saw the fox boy's hand slowly grabbing the rope as he felt it brush his hand, and was relieved; he was, at the very least, _alive_.

The Petali girl watched the crewmen heaving the rope, hauling the young boy off of the planks and over the rail. He collapsed to the deck.

Silver ran up to the boy, holding a hand an inch over the boy's muzzle. Cosmo stood beside him; was the fox boy…?

"He's still breathing," said Silver.

A wave of relief shot through the crowd. And through Cosmo.

"Mary, mother of God!" shouted a voice from the rail. All turned to look in alarm.

Knuckles looked stark-white, and even before she ran up with the rest of the crew, Cosmo could see why; with a loud gasp, she saw that there was the flaming wreckage of what was once doubtlessly a merchant ship, the smoke dancing up in black billows towards the heavens above.

Lucas gaped. "What happened here?"

"Most likely the powder magazine," said Silver, looking concerned. "Merchant vessels run heavily armed."

"Fat lot of good it did them," Knuckles said under his breath, but not enough; many gave him scandalized looks. "Everyone's thinking it; I'm just saying it," he said defensively, before muttering in the direction of the wreckage, "Pirates."

_Pirates did this?_ Cosmo wondered. _What kind of pirates would do this?_ Turning away, she walked up to the fox boy lying unconscious on the deck.

Cosmo heard her father stating with a noticeable quaver, "There's no proof of that. It was probably an accident."

Cosmo felt gratitude towards her father fill her. One on the _Typhoon_, at least, doubted the possibility that pirates could have done something this awful.

"Rouse the Captain immediately," said Silver; Cosmo turned to look; he'd begun walking towards one of the longboats. "Heave to and take in sails. Launch the boats!"

"Cosmo," said Lucas as Cosmo turned to look up at him, "I'm going to ask you to look after the boy. He'll be in your charge. Take care of him."

Cosmo stole one last look over her shoulder – her father stood to stare out to the wreckage, while Silver and some of his men rowed out to check for survivors – before walking to look at the fox boy more closely.

Now that she was rather close to the boy, Cosmo could see that he actually looked rather cute. His fur, now starting to dry, was a sort of orange-yellow. His chest rose and fell slowly with each breath he took. Like most humanimals she'd seen – and she had seen many hedgehogs, foxes, minks, cats, echidnas, and other animals capable of walking and talking like humans – he only wore gloves and shoes, but his fur covered up any indecency on his part. Looking him over, Cosmo noticed that, curiously enough, he had two tails. She smiled; they looked rather fluffy, and she fleetingly imagined those tails wrapping around her in a soft embrace.

Cosmo reached down to brush his bangs out of his face.

"AAAAGGHH!"

The fox boy shot awake, grabbing Cosmo's arm roughly and holding it away from him, staring at her with his eyes wide with fear. Cosmo gasped in fright, but also in awe of his eyes. They were like sapphires.

But she composed herself; she had to calm him before he hurt himself or others.

"It's okay," she said. "My name is Cosmo Petali."

The fox boy stared into Cosmo's eyes, his tension easing significantly. For a moment, Cosmo wondered if he could talk at all.

Then he managed to stutter out, "M-Miles Prower. Everyone calls me Tails."

Cosmo glanced smilingly at Tails' tails, then looked into his eyes, and said, "I'm watching over you, Tails."

Tails took much relief from this, it seemed, because he slid down to the deck again, the only clue that he was still alive being the steady rise and fall of his breast as he rested.

A glint of brightest gold.

Curious, Cosmo reached down into his chest fur, fishing for the glint she'd seen there. Pulling it out, Cosmo saw it was a medallion of some sort. Unfastening the link at the back, Cosmo held it up into the light so she could see it.

It had a skull medallion on it.

"You're a pirate," she muttered in mingled shock and horror.

"Has he said anything?" asked Silver behind her.

_It is my role in life to see to it that _anyone_ who sails under a pirate flag or wears a pirate brand gets what he deserves…_

_A short drop and a sudden stop…_

_Short drop and a sudden stop…_ Cosmo thought. Then she realized with a thrill of horror, _But that means that he'll hang Tails if he sees this medallion! I don't want Tails to be hung!_

She turned around, concealing the medallion behind her back, faced Silver, and said evenly, "His name's Miles Prower, but he prefers 'Tails'. That's all I found out."

Silver glanced at Tails' tails, then said to an officer beside him, "Take him below." The officer nodded, picked Tails up under the arms, and carried him below deck.

Cosmo was filled with relief; she knew, Tails would not be hung, and she would keep this medallion; she didn't want Tails to be hurt. It would have been awful if Silver had seen the medallion and discovered that Tails might have been a pirate…

Cosmo soon found herself near the helm, facing out to the right side of the ship again. This time, she found herself looking back the direction they came. The fog seemed even thicker somehow.

Then it seemed to part before her very eyes.

Interested, Cosmo looked through the parting mist…

And saw a black ghost ship sailing away, its tattered black sails fluttering uselessly in the wind. The image seemed to evoke a sensation of doom and death, even as the vessel sailed off for other victims to decimate.

Horrified by the vision, Cosmo was even more stricken when she saw the ship's colors:

A pair of crossed swords on black. A skull with a mad grin and a large mustache.

It was all too much for the plant girl. Yearning to burn the image from her mind, she slammed her eyes shut…

* * *

(**Note from the Author:** Well, that was an interesting thing to write. I'm sure many of you have already noticed the lack of a cast list. Well, I'm doing that on purpose, before anyone complains to me about the lack of one. Because this is undoubtedly a familiar story to most of my readers, I'm leaving a cast list out, as I already spelled out at the top of this document. I mean, I'm pretty sure many of you have heard of something called 'suspense', right? Any inquiries as to who's playing whom later on will be responded to with a cordial 'I'm sorry, I can't tell you'. This omission is what I'll do with all of my 'cast replacement' fics, in case anyone wants to ask.

Anyway, now that that's taken care of, I'd like to hear your feedback!)


	2. Chapter 1: Can't Breathe

**Chapter 1: Can't Breathe**

…and opened them again.

The black ship with that horrid flag was gone; instead, Cosmo saw the curtain that she'd drawn around her bed…the night before.

_So it was just a dream_, she thought, sitting up. _Thank God. I thought that ship was going to open fire on us._

Wordlessly, Cosmo pulled the curtain aside, swung her legs over the threshold, planted her feet on the floor, and sat pensively on the edge of her bed.

Eight years had passed since the day she and her father had crossed from England so he could take up his post as Governor of Port Royal as decreed by the King.

Since she saw that vessel as black as Hell itself.

Since she met Miles "Tails" Prower.

Tails…on their arrival at Port Royal, Cosmo insisted that he live in the Petali estate with herself and her father, but Tails had insisted that he live on his own and make his own way. He was now making a living off of working at a blacksmith.

And today, he was going to be dropping off an order her father had made: a sword for Captain Silver's promotion ceremony today.

_God_, thought Cosmo, _I hope I don't have to go. I don't really go for all that formality. And besides, I'll have to wear one of those dreadful corsets._

Corsets. She hated them. _Hated_ them – which was saying something as Cosmo Petali was not quick to hate. She could never breathe while she was wearing one, and she'd feel constrained for days afterwards.

Sighing, Cosmo decided that her clothes weren't going to dress her for her.

Getting up, she walked over to her bureau and, on a whim, pulled open an empty drawer near the top, then popped open a small hatch hidden on the bottom; she had Tails put it in, telling him that she would use it to hide her journal from prying eyes.

It wasn't a lie.

It was just that the journal wasn't the only thing she hid in this compartment.

Cosmo pulled out the golden medallion, now fastened to a golden chain that she had found in the bureau when she had first looked in this very same drawer. She simply looped the chain through a gap in the intricate designs around the skull in the middle, reconnected the chain, and that was that.

Looking at the mirror in front of her, Cosmo studied her eighteen-year-old reflection. Just the week before, her father Lucas had told her how much she resembled her mother Hertia at that age, apart from the roses that now bloomed on either side of her head and her hair being green as grass rather than the blue-green of her mother's hair.

Cosmo pushed the drawer shut, unfastened the chain, looped it behind her now-waist-length hair, and refastened it. It rested exactly between her breasts.

She always liked looking at it, and often she would take a peek at the medallion just before she went to bed, or just after she woke up. It reminded her of pirates and piracy, those sly rogues who roamed the seven seas for rum, booty, women, and a fun old time. She was always especially careful to put the medallion back in its hiding spot, to make sure no one saw it, because of the potentially dangerous questions that would arise.

Not for herself, but for Tails.

_I intend to see to it_, Silver had said, the day Tails was found, _that anyone who sails under a pirate flag or wears a pirate brand gets what he deserves:_

_A short drop and a sudden stop._

**Knock knock knock**

Cosmo spun on the spot, frozen. Her curtains were pulled completely shut, letting no light in; how late was the hour?

"Cosmo?"

It was her father.

Frantic now, Cosmo dove across her bed, pulling a small jacket off of her chair. While her undergarments were sufficient to conceal her decency, it wouldn't do to let on the appearance of sleepiness.

"Are you alright?" came Lucas' voice again. "Are you decent?"

"Yes," said Cosmo, trying to sound less groggy than she felt. As the doorknob turned, Cosmo realized she was still wearing the medallion round her neck. At the last instant, and in something of a panic, she hid the medallion in her cleavage. "Yes!"

Just as the door opened. Although Cosmo tried to feign that she had been awake longer than she actually was, Lucas evidently caught on to the charade in an instant, because of his slightly weary smile and his slight shake of the head.

"Still abed at this hour?"

Cosmo smiled back, slightly nervously, and two maids – both plant-people like herself and her father – entered behind her father, one carrying a medium-sized parcel. Before Cosmo could ask what was in it, the other maid brushed past her, pulling aside the curtains and throwing back the windows. Cosmo had to shut her eyes to the almost-blinding light from outside, but very quickly her eyes adjusted and she caught sight of a beautiful sunny day over Port Royal and the Caribbean beyond. It looked to be nearly noon.

"It's a beautiful day," said her father before she could. Lucas, now more clearly visible in the sunlight, Cosmo could see that he was already dressed in his governor's regalia, even down to his now-gray wig. Cosmo looked nothing like her father; his skin was a dull purple and his eyes startlingly green; his hair, hidden by his wig, was a dark mauve, and twin dulled thorns in lieu of flowers pointed from his head. Turning slightly, he took the parcel from the other maid with a nod, and held it out to Cosmo, "I have a gift for you."

Cosmo took the package slowly. It seemed longer than it was wide or tall. The young Petali pulled the lid off of it.

Cosmo's breathe caught in her chest. It was a dress, but of the most exquisite kind she had ever seen. "It's beautiful!" she said breathlessly, taking it from its case.

"Isn't it?" said Lucas, taking the now-empty parcel back and holding it behind his back.

Cosmo stood for several seconds merely admiring the dress. It was composed of a green top with golden highlights, and white petal-like extensions with green trimmings formed the skirt. And it belonged to Cosmo.

But then the reason behind receiving it was called into question. The smile faded slightly from Cosmo's face.

"May I inquire as to the occasion?" she asked.

Lucas simply shrugged slightly, "Does a father _need_ an occasion to dote upon his daughter?"

Father and daughter laughed this over, and Cosmo gave her father a fleeting kiss on the cheek and retreated behind the dressing screens to change into the dress. Cosmo pulled off the coat she wore over her undergarments just as the two maids walked around behind the screens to aid her. Not that she needed help getting changed.

"Actually…," said Lucas from the other side of the screens. He sounded slightly put out, as though he'd rather not tell her this.

_Here it comes_, thought Cosmo.

"…I had rather hoped you'd wear it to the ceremony today."

Right on.

"Ceremony?" Cosmo asked, playing dumb, throwing the coat over the screen. She'd slept in for a reason, having been awoken by the sound of her name being uttered outside her door, then hearing her father discussing with a maid the "the promotion ceremony" tomorrow, and how Cosmo would react to the notion of having to attend it. As such, she'd slept late, and had the dream about the black ship.

"Captain Silver the Hedgehog's promotion ceremony?" offered Lucas.

"I knew it," she said stiffly, sticking her head out from behind the screen. The maids gently pulled her back in. One of them was holding a corset.

_Oh no._

"_Commodore_ Hedgehog, as he's about to become," said Lucas. Meanwhile, the maids saw to putting on the corset. In readiness, Cosmo – frowning slightly – took a deep breath so she wouldn't suffocate with it on. Unfortunately, the maids were apparently told to make Cosmo look as skinny as possible in her corset, because they were pulling the drawstrings very tight.

"A fine gentleman, don't you think?" asked Lucas.

Cosmo gasped at how tight the corset was becoming.

"Cosmo?" Lucas asked concernedly, but he didn't look around the screen. He must have heard her gasp. "How's it coming?"

Cosmo could barely breathe, but she tried to answer regardless.

"It's difficult to say," she breathed.

Lucas was quiet for a short time, though he might have caught her contempt for the corset in her reply, because his next words were, "I'm told it's the latest fashion in London."

Cosmo didn't bother restraining her retort, "Well, women in London must have learned not to breathe." Cosmo's frown vanished in an instant as this retort cost her much of the breath she'd held prior to the corset's appliance. Putting a hand on her chest, Cosmo tried to take in several breaths.

A butler walked in, bowing slightly to Lucas. "Governor Petali, you have a visitor," he said.

_**---**_

Miles "Tails" Prower stood in the foyer of the Petali residence, holding his order under one arm. He had not changed much since he was first found either in voice or in appearance; indeed, any one person who was there when he was found might have said that all that happened was that he got taller and more mature. He still had that boyish, even slightly naїve light in his aquamarine eyes.

Tails was awed by how opulent a home Cosmo lived in. To think that every day, she had to come down those stairs for breakfast, had to enter that sitting room whenever her father the Governor invited someone over for tea. In many ways, Tails envied Cosmo's lifestyle.

Turning to look at the candelabras that bracketed the entryway, Tails reached up and touched it, wrapping his fingers around the neck of the candle.

…

…

_**CLUNK!**_

…

…

Tails, holding the broken candlestick in his hand, was momentarily robbed of his breath. Then he heard footsteps. Hastily, he looked for some place to stow the candle to avoid getting in hot water. He spotted an umbrella case; in a flash, he stuffed the candle into the case and stood up again just as a butler walked by carrying a tray of teacups. Acting normal, Tails nodded.

So, for the next minute or so, Tails stood there, keeping his hands to himself. The next thing he broke might not be as inconspicuous.

"Ahh, Mr. Prower," said a voice from the staircase, and Tails looked up; it was Governor Petali.

"Good day, sir," Tails said, holding up the package he'd brought. "I have your order." He put it on the table before him.

Lucas nodded curtly, smiling slightly as he crossed the room to inspect Tails' order. Opening the box, Tails pulled out a rapier in its sheath with intricate golden designs in the handle, and held it out to the Governor. Slowly, Lucas took the sword from Tails and unsheathed it, eyes running up and down the blade.

"The blade is folded steel," explained Tails. "That's golden filigree laid into the handle."

Lucas nodded appreciatively at Tails' know-how.

"If I may?" Tails beckoned to hold the sword. A moment's hesitance, and Governor Petali handed it back to him.

Tails balanced the blade on his hand, just past the hilt. It was perfectly parallel to the floor. "Perfectly balanced. The tang is nearly the full width of the blade."

Then Tails felt a little daring, and perhaps a little like showing off.

He flipped the blade off of his hand, and the sword elegantly spun through the air in front of Tails – Lucas jumped back a foot, letting out a short shout – arching in a perfect circle before Tails caught it, point down, and presented it to Governor Petali once more.

Lucas, still a little shaken by how near the blade came to hitting him, merely smiled nervously as he took the sword back. "Impressive, very impressive. Commodore Hedgehog is going to be very pleased with this," he said as he re-sheathed the blade.

Tails smiled, his heart rising slightly.

"Do pass my compliments on to your master."

Tails stomach – and smile – fell, and he felt the slightest bit angry at Cosmo's father for thinking that he was too young to make a decent sword, but that smile replaced itself instantly.

"I will," he said, before adding, "A craftsman is always pleased to hear his work is appreciated."

There. That was his 'you're welcome for liking the sword I made'.

A door opened upstairs, and Tails and Lucas looked up.

Tails' heart leapt into his throat, and he couldn't breathe.

It was Cosmo. And she never looked more beautiful than she did now. The closest Tails could imagine was the day that he first saw her, on the _Typhoon_ eight years ago. But now, with the benefit of maturity, she was _angelic_.

"Oh, Cosmo, you look absolutely stunning."

How Tails wished that he was the one saying those words. But instead, it was Lucas who said it. But still, Cosmo looked down at him as though he were the one to have addressed her. And she smiled.

"Tails," she said, almost whispering, putting a hand to her chest.

_The corset must be tight_, Tails thought.

"It's so good to see you!" Cosmo smiled, walking down the steps to meet Tails. Stopping barely a meter in front of him, she said, "I had a dream about you last night."

More composed men might have made some sly comment along the lines of "Of course you did" or "Again?". But instead, Miles Prower's reply was:

"_About_ me?"

Lucas seemed somewhat flustered by his daughter's behavior. "Now, Cosmo, are you sure that it's entirely proper to--…"

"About the day we met, do you remember?" Cosmo cut across her father, still speaking to the Prower blacksmith before her.

"How could I forget, Ms. Petali?" Tails replied, never taking his eyes off of Cosmo.

Cosmo looked a bit let down about something. "Tails, how many times do I have to ask you to call me Cosmo?"

Tails would have loved to have said that she needn't say it again, but the words spilled out his mouth before he could stop himself.

"At least once more, Ms. Petali, as always," he said evenly.

_Good job, Mr. Prower_, he thought. _Good job._

Governor Petali seemed heartened by Tails' reply. He smiled, "There, you see? The boy has a sense of propriety," before beckoning Cosmo to the front door, "Now, we really must be going."

Cosmo turned to leave, then faced Tails again with a neutral face.

"Good day, Mr. Prower," she said squarely before turning away again and walking out the front door, and something in what she said made Tails feel about half as old as he was, as though he'd disappointed her in some way.

_Can't be because she has feelings for me beyond friendship_, Tails thought, more disappointed in himself than she could possibly be, following a good ten feet behind her entourage, and stopping at the door. Cosmo boarded the carriage behind her father.

"Good day…" he called just before a butler closed the carriage door.

_I can't let them – or her – know how I feel for her_, he thought. _It's not my place. Besides, she's the governor's daughter, and I'm just a blacksmith. How could that ever work out? We're too far apart in society._

"…Cosmo," Tails finished as the carriage pulled away, uttering the name with such love and reverence that his heart ached. He'd blown his last chance.

She would not come back from that fort without a fiancé in return.

_**---**_

Cosmo looked out the door of the carriage, having heard Tails' last call, and having read his lips and knowing his last-second addendum, left unheard by any but the wind.

"Cosmo?" asked Lucas, as the carriage pulled out of the driveway and onto the main road.

"Yes, Father?" she asked.

He looked a little miffed. "I hope you will show a higher level of decorum around Commodore Hedgehog. After all, it's only through his efforts that Port Royal is at all civilised."

Cosmo nodded silently, not trusting herself to speak too much.

The corset was tight. Very tight.

_I can't even _speak_ to Tails the way I want without being lectured on manners_, she thought. _I'm sorry, Tails, but things just couldn't work out between us. No matter how we feel about each other, life is too complicated to forget that you're too many rungs down, and I too many up._

And so Cosmo stared out the window, watching the town rolling past.

* * *

The town of Port Royal was visible even from the distance that the vessel was at as it rolled into the harbour. Atop its tallest mast stood a legendary figure in these waters.

Wanted dead for a 10001 Spanish doubloons reward by the Guardian Units of the Nation for various misdemeanours and crimes, including the hijacking of rumrunners, refusal to transport cargo out of Africa, and impersonating a cleric of the Church of England. Once you see that piratical sparkle in those emerald eyes, you know you're in the presence of a legend:

Sonic the Hedgehog.

_Captain_ Sonic the Hedgehog, as he'd tell you.

The fabled Pirate Lord of the Caribbean, the blue hedgehog who was said to have escaped from the most terrible agents of GUN, sacked Nassau Port without even having removed his pistol from his belt, and even escaped an uninhabited island in three days.

So they say.

And so some say that his ship never springs a leak.

Guess what? It does.

Sonic, noticing the water spilling onto the deck, rappelled down to the deck of his vessel, the _Jolly Frog_, from the tallest mast of his vessel – which also happened to be its _only_ mast.

Picking up a bucket, Sonic began scooping water out of the _Jolly Frog_, and tossing it into the Caribbean once more. But the water seemed to much prefer being in his boat than in the Caribbean, so it just came right back in.

Sighing in frustration, Sonic stood up and pondered how hard it would be to simply swim to the Port. Noting how far it was, Sonic chalked it up as a last resort when he noticed; just beyond, within the harbor itself, floated a Royal Navy vessel that dwarfed all other ships in Port Royal. It had to have at least one-hundred guns, maybe just over 50 meters from stem to stern. On its stern was carved the word _Typhoon_.

Sonic pondered the idea of stealing it, though he was just discarding the idea based on how slow the ship-of-the-line would be when something closer drew his eye.

Jutting up at the mouth of the port, was a simple crag of rock. Four nooses hung from a hole cut through the middle, three of which hung the skeletal remains of… well, the sign said quite clearly:

**PIRATES, YE BE WARNED**

Sonic removed his tricorne and held it over his heart. Respect for good men, after all. Men who were willing to embrace their freedom, not letting such things as 'rules' restrict them.

The only rule pirates live by is… well, we'll see soon enough if pirates live by any rules at all, won't we?

_**---**_

People scurried about the ports of Port Royal like so many little mice, running to and fro, inspecting crab traps, fishing, readying ships for departure or bringing them in for arrival.

But one by one, eyes were drawn first to the bucket, then to the ropes, and then finally to the blue hedgehog dressed in leather standing on the mast of a small sailing ship – which was all that was not submerged on the vessel. Slowly, but surely, the boat sailed towards a vacant dock, the hedgehog put out his foot and, just as the very top of the mast dipped down to the level of the dock, set foot in Port Royal.

Sonic strode down the port as if it was his business, brushing casually past the hawk officer who, Sonic knew, was one of many who took down the names of those who entered Port Royal. And right on cue…

"Hold up there, you!"

Allowing himself but a small smirk for an instant, Sonic spun on the spot and faced the officer.

"It's a shilling to tie up your boat at the dock…" he indicated the crow's nest, all that remained above water level of the Jolly Frog. Sonic raised his eyebrows, wondering if that even counted as a boat anymore. Some sort of undersea boat, like the _Heart of Solaris_?

"…and I shall need to know your name," finished the officer, offering his book and pen, filled with the names of people who signed.

Sonic was ready for this. He knew how these officers worked.

"What do you say to _three_ shillings…" Sonic placed three pieces of said currency in the book. "…and we forget the name?"

The officer regarded Sonic imperiously for several seconds, but Sonic was sharp enough to see the answer forming in the hawk's mind as though his beak were invisible. Sure enough, the hawk smiled, "Welcome to Port Royal, Mr. Smith," closing the book – literally – on that issue, before walking away to deal with other arrivals.

Slick as a freshly swabbed deck, Sonic strode past the officer's vacant podium, nicking the pouch filled with shillings of past arrivals. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a rather small sloop with sails of promising potency for speed on a good wind. With a sly grin, Sonic started for it.

A pirate's life for him, indeed.

* * *

The Union Jack flew high as soldiers marched in two-column formation through Fort Charles; _Rule Brittanica _played from the small orchestra behind the crowd.

Cosmo stood beside her father, fanning herself with a fan she had been given upon arrival in addition to a green hat to keep the sun from her eyes. And by good fortune; it was sweltering today. Though it did nothing to combat the corset, which seemed impossibly tighter now in the heat. She'd welcome a chance to take a nice, cool bath tonight.

A flash of gold light. Cosmo looked down at the medallion resting between her breasts. It was by greatest fortune that Tails didn't see it when they'd met earlier. He'd likely have asked about it, and she would have had to say where she'd gotten it from, and Tails likely would have been angry at her for having taken something of his. Not to mention that retribution for any wrongdoings Tails couldn't have committed would inevitably come in the form of a noose and the gallows. And Cosmo didn't want that sort of thing to happen to her Tails.

"Two paces, march!" shouted Silver's lieutenant, a skunk named Geoffrey St. John. Cosmo snapped out of her reverie in time to see the Royal Navy soldiers forming a corridor in response to St. John's order. In her peripheral vision, she saw that her father was no longer beside her, but at one end of the corridor, a soldier holding Tails' sword in a box beside him.

"Right about face!" ordered St. John, and the soldiers turned to face each other. Cosmo saw Silver walking up to the opposite end of the corridor from her father, wearing his new Commodore uniform, his expression impartial. He did not begin traversing the corridor of soldiers immediately; if Cosmo's intuition was correct, he was waiting for his cue, which was coming up, right…

"Present…arms!"

…now.

The soldiers held their weapons at an angle, forming a makeshift ceiling for the newly promoted Commodore who, as Cosmo thought, began walking down the line. As he passed her, he inclined his head towards her, nodded quickly, and continued.

Reaching Lucas, who had since taken the sword-box from the soldier, he opened the box; even from this distance, Cosmo could see his eyes light up at the sight of the sword. Without pause, he took it from the box, examined reflection of light from the blade, and took a few practice swipes with it. He even employed his rare psionic powers occasionally to levitate the sword and practice using it as a long-range weapon.

There was no doubt in Cosmo's mind that Silver was a fine man. Though she had almost always met him in a formal capacity, during which he let little to no emotion show, she could see a liveliness in his eyes whenever her eyes and his met. She would not be surprised if many a woman in Port Royal, the colonies, or back in England dreamt sometimes of being married to him.

She knew she did. Some nights, she dreamt of being his bride. And what's more, she only felt bad about it when Tails was brought to mind. She loved Tails, but she thought Silver to be more within her territory, and a fine man to be sure. The war between her mind and her heart was almost agonizing, and was brought to the forefront once more in this moment.

_God, I hope this ends soon_, thought Cosmo. _I feel a little faint from all this, with the corset on top of it all._

* * *

Sonic strode towards the ramp leading to the speedy-looking vessel, giving a quick nod to the two Royal Navy officers sitting on the side – one a purple chameleon, the other a red-and-black armadillo – who quickly grabbed their muskets, rushed in front of him, barring entrance to the boat.

"This dock is off-limits to civilians," said the chameleon shortly.

"I'm very sorry, I didn't know," Sonic said, before adding with a smirk, "But I'll let you know if I see one." His attempt to step around them was stymied, however. They really didn't want him to get on board.

He sighed. They clearly weren't as easy to fluster as most.

"Apparently," he began, "There's some sort of big party going on up at the fort." He indicated Fort Charles, just above on the cliffs some hundred feet above. "How come two great guys like _you_ weren't invited?"

_Cozying up to them will probably work_, Sonic thought. _But if it doesn't, I hope that one of them's a superstitious guy._

"Someone's gotta make sure this dock stays off-limits to civilians," said the armadillo, with a sort of self-evidence to his tone.

"And that's a good goal, don't get me wrong," said Sonic. "But don't you think this ship looks a little…" He stepped to one side – they blocked him again – and indicated the _Typhoon_, "…out-of-place in the same harbor as _that_ sort of ship?"

The chameleon and armadillo stared at the ship-of-the-line for a moment, then returned their gaze to Sonic.

"The _Typhoon_ is the power in these waters, no doubt," said the chameleon, "But there's no ship that can match the _Tornado_ for speed."

_Thought so_, Sonic thought. _So_ this _is the next ship I'll borrow without permission._

"I've heard of one," Sonic continued. "Supposed to be _very_ fast. Practically uncatchable…the _Black Emerald_."

The chameleon let out a small chuckle, but – according to Sonic's plan – the armadillo's eyes widened a little, his mouth slightly agape.

"There's no _real_ ship, sir," said the chameleon, "That can match the _Tornado_."

"But the _Black Emerald_ _is_ a real ship," said the armadillo.

The chameleon brow lowered slightly. "No, it isn't, Mighty."

"Yes, it is. I've seen it, Espio," said the armadillo named Mighty, looking affronted.

Espio the Chameleon frowned now. "You've _seen_ it?" he said, sounding incredulous.

"…Yes."

"You haven't seen it."

"Yes, I have!"

"You've seen a ship, with black sails, that's crewed by the damned, and captained by a man so evil, that Hell itself spat him back out?" asked Espio.

"…No," said Mighty.

"No," repeated Espio, stealing a contemptful glance at Sonic.

Sonic was feeling a little let down. The argument usually went on a bit longer.

"But I _did_ see a ship with black sails," piped up Mighty.

Espio rolled his eyes and turned wholly to face his companion.

_Oh_, Sonic thought. Only a small delay.

"So what you're saying is that no ship that's not crewed by the damned and captained by a man so evil that Hell itself spat him back out could possibly have black sails, therefore it couldn't possibly be any other ship than the _Black Emerald_? Is that what you're saying?"

Mighty was evidently baffled by Espio's verbosity, but then worked his face into a smile and answered Espio's question as though it were instead 'Did you understand a word I said?':

"No."

Espio smiled triumphantly, "Like I said, there's no _real_ ship," turning to face Sonic, "That can match the _Torna_--…"

Sonic wasn't there.

Baffled, Espio and Mighty looked around for the wily hedgehog, and saw him at the helm of the _Tornado_.

For the moment Espio asked Mighty his whopper of a question regarding whether or not only a ship like the _Emerald_ would be the only ship to possibly have black sails, he simply walked around them, and Espio was so absorbed in trying to question the existence of the _Black Emerald_, and Mighty so confused by Espio's overly complicated question, that he literally went by unnoticed.

"HEY!" called Espio, he and Mighty rushing across the ramp. "YOU! Get away from there!"

Espio and Mighty pointed their muskets at Sonic, but Sonic didn't change his expression.

"You don't have permission to be aboard here!" added Mighty.

"I'm sorry," offered Sonic. "It's just such a nice-looking boat." He held up a hand in apology. "_Ship_."

Espio narrowed his eyes at Sonic, "What's your name?"

For a second, Sonic feared that he'd been recognized, then thought, _Looks and a name tell my identity. Give a wrong name, give a wrong identity._

"Smith, or Smithy, if you want," Sonic said without a bat of the eyelid.

"What's your purpose in Port Royal, _Mr. Smith_?" asked Espio.

"No lies!" said Mighty (Espio rolled his eyes again).

"Alright, then," Sonic said, stepping away from the helm. One step away, that is. "I confess. My intentions are to commandeer this ship, pick up a crew in Tortuga, raid, pillage, plunder, and otherwise pilfer my weaselly black guts out."

Silence hung over the trio for an instant. Then…

"I said, 'no lies'!" said Mighty, raising his musket again.

"I think he's telling the truth," said Espio, a slight smirk on his face. Sonic smirked mentally; if they thought they had him bagged, they didn't know Sonic the Hedgehog.

It was Mighty's turn to roll his eyes. "If he were telling the truth, he wouldn't have told us," he said.

Sonic piped in, "Unless he knew you wouldn't believe the truth even if he _told_ it to you."

Mighty nodded in agreement for a second, then realized his fault, and glared at the sharp hedgehog.

* * *

Silver was quite beside himself with glee; he'd been promoted to the Commodoreship that he so desired. That, and he intended to propose to Lucas' daughter. He could see the way her eyes lit up when she saw him, and he knew her to be one of the loveliest people he'd ever had the fortune and dignity to meet. Of course, the fact that she was the daughter of the Governor of one of the chief British ports in the Caribbean was simply the icing on the cake. This could hardly be the young girl who fancied pirates eight years ago.

The ceremony was nearing its end, and the orchestra had begun playing a slow waltz, prompting many of the attendants to dance. Silver wasn't dancing, and, he noticed, neither was Cosmo. The silver hedgehog was worried for the plant-woman; had something happened to her? Where was she?

She was leaning against a pillar just inside the fort, in the shade. She looked to be asleep, but on hearing Silver's approach, she snapped awake.

"Silver!" she said softly.

"May I have a moment? Over there?" Silver asked, gesturing to the walkway overlooking the harbor a hundred feet below.

Cosmo nodded. Silver was a little concerned for her, but he feared that if he didn't propose now when he was still on a high of confidence, he would never be able to. So, with a hand on her back he led her to the walkway. Almost as soon as stepping into the sunlight, she began fanning herself with her fan.

_If she's uncomfortable from the heat, better get it done with quickly_, he thought.

"You look lovely," he said, and he meant it. In spite of her slight sheen of sweat, he thought she was practically an angelic vision from God himself.

"Thank you," she breathed.

Suddenly, Silver found he couldn't look her in the eye, and his breath seemed to have left him. He'd heard of this sort of 'cold feet' his own father had told him about before proposing to the woman who would be Silver's mother. To fight this, he looked out to the Caribbean and Atlantic beyond, where he hoped to purge piracy in due time. Cosmo, he heard, moved to stand beside him, right at the edge. A little perilous, but Silver had a feeling this would lead to something good in life: Marriage to Cosmo.

"I apologize if I seem forward, but I…must speak my mind," Silver said. The only indication Cosmo was still with him was her slightly heavy breathing.

_Best hurry it up. She seems delicate_, he thought. But the words seemed to come just as he opened his mouth.

"Th-this p-promotion…throws into sharp relief," Silver felt confidence returning to him, "That which I have not yet achieved:" Silver turned to gaze at Cosmo; she was looking at him with an indefinable expression, some mingling of shock and admiration.

"A marriage to a fine woman."

He'd gotten it out there. Cosmo's eyes widened slightly, and her breathing got heavier slightly.

"You've become a fine woman, Cosmo," he added, wanting to get her back in the shade, get her a cool drink, before she passed out from heat exhaustion.

"I can't breathe," she choked out.

"Yes, I'm--…" Silver turned away again. "I'm a bit nervous myself." And he simply stood there, waiting calmly for her affirmation.

He no longer heard her breathing.

"Cosmo?" He turned to look, and his heart stopped.

She wasn't there.

Fearing the worst, he peered down past the edge. To his horror, he saw a flash of green cloth before a tremendous splash sounded.

"COSMO!!" he screamed, denying the truth. She was too far for his psychic powers to reach. Instantly, he heard Geoffrey and his other lieutenants rushing to his side. Looking down, Geoffrey shared Silver's sentiments.

"THE ROCKS! Sir, it's a miracle _she_ missed them!" he shouted.

If only Silver could have known that Cosmo's corset was too tight to allow for proper breathing, he'd have known that his proposal shocked Cosmo into passing out and falling from the cliff. But the blame must not only be affixed to shock at his proposal; shock that she would have to betray her love for Tails conspired with the shock of the proposal to send Cosmo into unconsciousness.

_And_ into the drink.

* * *

Sonic was finding these Mighty and Espio fellows to be decent men, even though they _were_ in the Royal Navy. He'd told them of many of his escapades, though changed some of the details – such as names of places and people, as well his own name – to disconnect himself from his Sonic the Hedgehog identity. They were a very receptive audience as well; they had since put their muskets aside.

It happened as he was telling a different version of his story of how he escaped from a marooning on an island.

"…and then they made me their chief," he said, and during the pause during which he took a breath, he heard a splash not too far from the boat.

_Must've come from the fort_, he thought as he, Espio, and Mighty turned to look. Sure enough, there came a horrified cry of 'Cosmo!' from the fort, and seconds later: "The rocks! Sir, it's a miracle _she_ missed them!"

_A girl fell?_ he thought.

"Will you be saving her, then?" he asked, standing up.

"I can't swim," said Mighty.

Sonic looked at Espio hopefully; the chameleon simply shrugged.

Sighing in frustration, Sonic ripped off his second belt, which he used to carry around his weapons, his hat, and his coat. "Pride of the King's Navy, all right," he said sarcastically. "Don't lose these," he handed his 'effects', as he called them, to the Royal Navy guards, climbed onto the railing, and dove into the water.

_**---**_

Cosmo's body floated in the water, being carried by gravity slowly to the seabed. Slowly, and unnoticed by anyone, the medallion floated out of its hiding spot, only staying attached to Cosmo by the chain she'd looped around it. And impossibly, as though it wanted to be found by someone – or something – the medallion emitted a pulse.

_**---**_

Espio and Mighty saw the water send ripples shoot out in every direction from the water at the spot where they were sure that Cosmo fell. But nothing had fallen there.

"What was that?" asked Espio.

Then the wind not only changed, but also became somewhat stronger as well. Espio and Mighty noticed it not only when the Union Jack on the stern of the _Tornado_ blew towards the harbor, but also when their hats were nearly blown from their heads.

They couldn't know that the wind had changed because of the pulse the medallion had emitted. Nor could they know that the medallion was calling out to those collecting others of its kind, a black terror that would descend upon Port Royal in a matter of not weeks nor days, but _hours_.

_**---**_

Cosmo's body hit the seabed.

Sonic saw her. She looked almost expressionless, at peace. But he knew – somehow, he knew – she wasn't dead. He'd dealt with things like this before.

He just hated swimming.

He managed to grab her round the waist. She didn't stir, but something about the stiffness of her waist confirmed his suspicions. A corset too tight. Just like the floozies in Singapore.

Sonic tried swimming back up; it was hard work. Not only was it tough enough swimming with just his legs, but swimming while carrying a young woman wearing a _dress_ straight _up_ was even more challenging.

He reached the surface, and had barely sputtered for breathe when the weight of the dress dragged rescuer and rescuee below the surface again. Thinking quickly, cool as a cucumber, Sonic ripped the dress off the unconscious plant-girl. Now, without the cumbersome dress weighing them down, swimming to the nearest dock – the _Tornado_'s – was relatively easy.

He hoisted Cosmo up onto the planks, and Espio and Mighty were already there, resting her on her back.

"It's the governor's daughter!" exclaimed Mighty.

"And she's not breathing!" shouted Espio, sounding more than a little panicked.

"Move!" cried Sonic, pulling himself onto the dock, whipping out a small dagger (one major pirate rule: never roam the seas unarmed), severing the knots clutching the corset to Cosmo's figure, and ripping it off.

Instantly, Cosmo's eyes popped open, and she rolled over, coughing violently, and very much alive. Sonic, relieved, casually tossed the ruined corset to Espio.

"Never would've thought of _that_," mused Mighty.

"Clearly, you've never been to Singapore," Sonic said, just noticing Royal Navy soldiers, led by several officers, converging on his position. He had less than a minute before--…

A flash of gold.

Sonic grabbed the gold coin on the end of Cosmo's necklace, and his heart skipped a beat.

It was a medallion of the treasure of Pachacamac, the Echidna conquistador.

"Where did you get that?" he asked in shock, eyes wide. Then he felt a sword against his throat, and he could hardly breathe.


End file.
